Archimed-backed Carso buys Agro.biolab Laboratory

• Archimed, Capza Flex Equity Mid-Market and Siparex funded the transaction via an equity injection 
• Archimed is an investment firm focused on healthcare industries
• Carso is a French public-safety testing firm

Archimed portfolio company Carso Group has acquired Agro.biolab Laboratory, a food-safety tester offering chemical analysis, microbiological analysis, materials analysis and pesticide analysis for the general food, water, agricultural and animal feed sectors.

No financial details of the transaction were disclosed.

Agro.biolab is headquartered in Bari, Italy.

Archimed and its partners, Capza Flex Equity Mid-Market and Siparex, financed the transaction through an equity injection.

The family of Francesco Gallone, founder and MD of Agro.biolab, will roll over a significant portion of proceeds from the deal into a minority stake in Carso and will hold leadership positions in the merged group’s Italian operations, according to a release.

“This acquisition is totally in line with Archimed and management’s plan to grow Carso organically and through add-ons into a European public-safety testing powerhouse,” said Antoine Faguer, partner at Archimed.

Archimed has identified a potential acquisition pipeline of over 100 companies for Carso and is in advanced negotiations for several future partnerships, the release stated.

ArchiMed acquired Carso via its MED Platform I fund in late 2021, alongside Carso founder Bruno Schnepp and private equity firms Siparex and Capza.

ArchiMed and Carso’s management are pursuing organic growth with some €35 million set aside for internal investment over the next two years, the release added.

ArchiMed is an investment firm focused on healthcare industries. The firm manages €6 billion across its various funds. It is based in Lyon, France.

Carso is a Lyon-based public-safety testing firm, an industry spanning pharma, healthcare, the environment, food and other fields.